Tucked away in Kirkcudbright is the hidden treasure of Broughton House. Owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, it contains a fantastic collection of art, ceramics, furniture and literature. The magnificent 18th century town house was previously owed by the ‘The Glasgow Boy’ Edward Atkinson Hornel. Also contained within its archive, is a treasure-trove of little known Robert Burns material.

A big part of my project involves bringing together the often myriad of collections relating to Robert Burns around Scotland. The redevelopment of the National Burns Collection website (more news soon!) will play a bit part in this, but raising awareness of collections such as those held by Broughton House also contributes to the uniqueness of the collections held by the NBC. Property Manager Sally Eastgate was kind enough to allow access to these underappreciated collections. Together we picked out a number of exciting items which will hopefully wet the appetite of Burnsians across the world.

A selection of the materials digitised at Broughton House. Watch this space for the full records on the newly redeveloped National Burns Collection site soon.

The Burns collection held by Broughton House is currently being painstakingly catalogued. Select items from the collection will also be available to view on the online catalogue at burnsscotland.com. If you are interested in finding out more about the Robert Burns items held at Broughton House, then please do get in touch.